The Biggest Misunderstandings Of Time Management
Brian Ford
Using personal development to fundraise for charity | Self-Improvement Podcaster (20+ million downloads) | Social Impact Leader (Nonprofit founder at For Purpose Foundation)
As someone who studies productivity and actively tries to live the most productive, intentional life that I possibly can, I think a lot about time management. Typically we see time management through the lens of how we can strike a balance between our personal priorities, professional commitments, and overall well-being. And while that’s all spot on and an appropriate place to focus our attention, the label of time management is misleading
We can’t manage time - it’s an ongoing, unrelenting construct that connects the present moment with the next. So until we invent time travel we’re all stuck with the same 24 hours in a day.?
When we talk about time management what we’re really doing is managing our energy and focus. It’s a matter of where we apply the resources, that we have control over, within the time that is passing. This is a major shift in perspective because it helps you realize what we really should be optimizing for.
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This has been the biggest area of growth in my personal development in this last year. I’m just not making myself busier and using new hacks to ‘get more done’. I’m really intentional about exercising, resting, and fueling myself so that I have more energy to deliver quality in the moments that matter. And further, I’ve been really particular about what I’m working on to stay more focused on what’s important, and doing more planning so that I’m spending my time doing only the most high-leverage things that create the best results.
Time management really is an attempt to become more productive, which has two variables: Quantity of effort and quality of effort. I’ve been focusing more on the latter by being more strategic, resourceful, and intentional where now I’m doing less but getting more done and getting better results.
When you see time management with this new perspective it creates a shift that allows you to evolve the way you do things. A new paradigm asks something new from you. And if you want to maximize the impact of this perspective shift, and implement the exact same? self-improvement and productivity systems I use to be less busy and make faster progress on what’s most important to me, I’ve consolidated a decade of trial and error into a 21 day process to get you up to speed.